Fodor's may use your email address to send you relevant information on site updates, account changes, and offers. For more information about your privacy and protection, please review our full Privacy Policy.

Maryland, The National Aquarium

Located on the Inner Harbor in downtown Baltimore, The National Aquarium is worth a visit and is a good place to spend a few hours on a lazy afternoon. Today, I am fortunate because of a special admission price the aquarium is offering.

Celebrating it's 30th Anniversary, The National Aquarium is offering a $5 admission after 5pm every Friday in October. With normal admission prices of $25-30 this is a steal!

Interestingly, the aquarium is located in what seems like a normal downtown office building. With a controlled entrance program, visitors tour the aquarium in a flowing stream of crowd management. One of the first exhibits gives a nice view of giant stingrays then close ups of the ocean's most feared family members.

Escalators then moves the crowd between floor to exhibits that expands from fresh water marine life to species from various parts of the vast ocean habitats. The exhibits are well done and easily transport you to the beach fronts or depths of the Atlantic Shelf.

Although, you might want to spend a significant time at a particular exhibit a flowing crowd forces a natural progression. However, it is nice to sit back and watch the kids enthusiasm as they look for “Little Nemo”or “Dory”.

I become interested in the California Sheephead and wonder if I can learn a thing or two from it. The Sheephead spends the first 7-8 years of it's life as a female and then becomes a male. Who better to understand the opposite sex. This turns Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus upside down.

I was just there- outside, on our way back from DC, stopped at the waterfront area for dinner on a Sat eve, aquarium was closed. Darn! My friends said it is really excellent. While your there, enjoy a nice dinner, fine or casual, that partI can attest to - it was lively, with people strolling, some street musicians, good choice of restaurants, nice water views.